T-62

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T-62

A T-62 tank at a public exhibit of the Russian Ground Forces, 2015.

 Medium tank
Type  Main battle tank

Place of origin Soviet Union

Service history
In service 1961–present
Used by See operators
Wars See combat history
Production history
Designer OKB-520 design bureau
Manufacturer Uralvagonzavod
1961–1975 (USSR)
Produced
~1980s (North Korea)
No. built More than 22,700
Specifications (T-62)
Mass 37 t (41 short tons; 36 long tons)
9.34 m (30 ft 8 in) with barrel in forward position
Length
6.63 m (21 ft 9 in) hull only
Width 3.30 m (10 ft 10 in)
Height 2.40 m (7 ft 10 in)
 Crew 4 (commander, driver, gunner, loader)

Cast turret[1][2]
214 (242 after 1972) mm turret front[3][1][2]
153 mm turret sides[3][1][2]
97 mm turret rear[3][1][2]
40 mm turret roof[3][1][2]
Hull
Armor
102 mm at 60° hull front[3][1][2]
79 mm hull upper sides[3][1][2]
15 mm hull lower sides[3][1][2]
46 mm at 0° hull rear[3][1][2]
20 mm hull bottom[3][1][2]
31 mm hull roof[3][1][2]
Main 115 mm U-5TS (2A20) smoothbore gun (40
armament rounds)[3]
7.62 mm PKT coaxial general-purpose machine gun
Secondary (2500 rounds)
armament 12.7 mm DShK 1938/46 antiaircraft heavy machine
gun (optional until T-62 Obr.1972)[4]
V-55 12-cylinder 4-stroke one-chamber 38.88 liter
Engine water-cooled diesel
581 hp (433 kW) at 2,000 rpm
Power/weight 14.5 hp/tonne (10.8 kW/tonne)
Suspension torsion bar
Ground clearance 425 mm (16.7 in)[4]
960 l[4]
Fuel capacity
1360 l with two 200-liter extra fuel tanks[4]
450 km (280 mi) on road (650 km (400 mi) with
Operational two 200 l (53 US gal; 44 imp gal) extra fuel tanks)
range 320 km (200 mi) cross-country (450 km (280 mi)
with two 200-liter extra fuel tanks)[5]
50 km/h (31 mph) (road)
Speed
40 km/h (25 mph) (cross country)

 v
 t
 e

Cold War tanks

The T-62 is a Soviet main battle tank that was first introduced in 1961.[6] As a further development of the
T-55 series, the T-62 retained many similar design elements of its predecessor including low profile and
thick turret armor. In contrast with previous tanks, which were armed with rifled tank guns, the T-62 was
the first tank armed with a smoothbore tank gun that could fire APFSDS rounds at higher velocities. While
the T-62 became the standard tank in the Soviet arsenal, it did not fully replace the T-55 in export markets
due to its higher manufacturing costs and maintenance requirements compared to its predecessor. Although
the T-62 was replaced in Russia and the successor states of the Soviet Union, it is still used in some
countries and its design features became standardized in subsequent Soviet and Russian mass-produced
tanks.
Contents
 1 Development history
o 1.1 The initial requirements
o 1.2 Ob'yekt 140
o 1.3 T-62A (Ob'yekt 165)
o 1.4 Ob'yekt 166
 2 Design
o 2.1 Armament
o 2.2 Mobility
o 2.3 Countermeasures
o 2.4 Equipment
o 2.5 Limitations
 3 Production history
o 3.1 Models
 3.1.1 Former Soviet Union
 3.1.2 Egypt
 3.1.3 Bulgaria
 3.1.4 France
 3.1.5 Israel
 3.1.6 North Korea
 3.1.7 Ukraine
 3.1.8 United States
 4 Service history
o 4.1 Soviet Union
 4.1.1 Sino-Soviet border conflict
 4.1.2 Soviet–Afghan War
o 4.2 Russia
 4.2.1 War in Chechnya
 4.2.2 2008 South Ossetia war
o 4.3 Foreign service
 4.3.1 Angola
 4.3.2 Bulgaria
 4.3.3 Other Warsaw Pact members
 4.3.4 Israel
 4.3.5 Iraq
 4.3.6 Libya
 4.3.7 Cuba
 4.3.8 Ethiopian Civil War
 4.3.9 Gulf War
 5 Operators
o 5.1 Current operators
o 5.2 Former operators
o 5.3 Evaluation-only operators
 6 Combat history
 7 See also
o 7.1 Tanks of comparable role, performance and era
 8 Notes
 9 References
 10 External links
Development history
The initial requirements
By the late 1950s, Soviet commanders realized that the T-55's 100 mm gun was incapable of penetrating
the frontal armor of newer Western tanks, such as the Centurion and M48 Patton, with standard armor-
piercing shells. While 100 mm HEAT ammo could have accomplished the task, they were much less
accurate than APDS shells, and the relatively low flight velocity resulted in poorer accuracy if used on
moving targets. It was decided to up-gun the T-55 with a 115 mm smoothbore cannon, capable of firing
APFSDS rounds. Experimental trials showed that the T-55 was inherently unsuited to mount the larger new
cannon, and work therefore began on a new tank. The bigger gun required a bigger turret and turret ring to
absorb the higher recoil. This in turn necessitated a larger hull, as the T-55 hull was simply too small to
accept the new turret. The T-62 thus took shape, marking an evolutionary improvement upon the T-55.[7]

Ob'yekt 140
After delivery of the T-54 design, its lead designer Alexander Morozov turned his attention to a new
design, the Ob'yekt 430. Ob'yekt 430 had a hull of welded rolled steel plates and a turret of cast and forged
steel. The turret had three-layer armour with an overall thickness of 185 mm to 240 mm. It was armed with
the new 100 mm D-54TS tank gun.

During this period, simpler upgrades to the existing T-54 design were assigned to a young engineer, Leonid
N. Kartsev, the head of the OKB-520 design bureau of Uralvagonzavod factory (UVZ) in Nizhny Tagil. He
had already led the development of the relatively minor upgrades to the T-54 that produced the T-54A
(Ob'yekt 137G) and T-54B (Ob'yekt 137G2), and began development of a more major update as the T-54M
(Ob'yekt 139).

When the T-54M was abandoned, he and his design team started working on a new tank, called Ob'yekt
140. The new tank had a suspension with six light road wheels made of aluminum. The turret was cast and
armed with the same D-54TS tank gun and included the Molniya two-plane stabilization system. The tank
carried 50 rounds and was powered by a V-36 diesel engine developed by engineer Artiemejev. The engine
was placed on the bottom of the hull, a solution that reduced the height of the engine compartment. The
Ob'yekt 140 weighed 37.6 tonnes.

In 1957, Uralvagonzavod built two Ob'yekt 140 prototypes which were put on trials soon after. The trials
showed that because of the complicated construction of many of the tank's systems, Kartsev's tank would
be expensive in serial production and hard to maintain.

Forced to abandon the Ob'yekt 140 project, Kartsev started working on yet another T-54 modernization
called the Ob'yekt 155. This design was more similar to the original T-54, but incorporated one useful
feature from the Ob'yekt 140; the upper fuel tanks were fitted with mounts for tank gun ammunition. This
increased the ammunition load carried by the tank to 45 rounds.

T-62A (Ob'yekt 165)

At the end of 1958, Kartsev decided to modernize the Ob'yekt 140 turret. He fitted it with a cartridge-case
ejector and mounted it onto a stretched T-55 chassis. He also considered that designs based on already
produced vehicles had a higher chance of acceptance. The Ob'yekt 140 turret diameter, bigger than the T-
55 turret by 249 mm, made redesigning the central part of the hull necessary. Kartsev changed the
arrangement of the torsion beams, which was necessary to keep the tank's weight balanced. The tank
received the designation "Ob'yekt 165" and in November 1958 three prototypes were built. In January
1962, the Ob'yekt 165 was accepted for service under the name T-62A. In the same year, Factory #183
produced five tanks that were put into experimental service. [8]

Ob'yekt 166
While working on a new tank, Kartsev was looking for a more powerful tank gun. The 100 mm D-10T and
D-54 tank guns had a fierce opponent in the form of the British L7A1 tank gun. The Soviets decided to
"recaliber" the already existing 100 mm D-54TS tank gun. The modifications done to the gun included
removing the rifling of the gun, reducing the profile of the bullet chamber, removing the muzzle brake,
lengthening the gun tube, adding an automatic cartridge-case ejector, and adding a bore evacuator in the
middle of the gun tube (as opposed to the D-45TS tank gun, which had a bore evacuator in the base of the
gun tube). The new 115 mm tank gun was designated U-5TS "Molot" Rapira; it was the first smoothbore
tank gun. When it went into serial production, it received the designation 2A20. It was put in trials against
the D-10TS tank gun, which armed the T-54B as well as some T-55 and T-55A main battle tanks. These
trials showed that the under-caliber projectiles fired from the U-5TS had a nearly 200 m/sec higher muzzle
velocity. It became apparent that the maximum range of the new tank gun was almost double that of the D-
10TS. The only serious drawback of the U-5TS tank gun was the fact that it was not as accurate as the D-
10TS, because of the lack of rifling. However, the greater range of the gun and its extremely high muzzle
velocity made the poor accuracy less of an issue.

The new U-5TS smoothbore tank gun was fitted into the Ob'yekt 140 turret at the end of 1960. The new
tank received the designation "Ob'yekt 166". In 1960, both Ob'yekt 165 and Ob'yekt 166 prototypes passed
their trials. The Uralvagonzavod was preparing to start serial production of the new tank, though the
General Armoured Directorate (GBTU) was paying much more attention to Morozov's Ob'yekt 430, which
was in development since early 1952. Morozov was supported by general Ustinov, who was in charge of
Soviet military industry at the time. He didn't see it as necessary to produce the new tank from
Uralvagonzavod but soon the situation changed dramatically with the appearance of a new American main
battle tank, the M60. In 1961, Soviet military intelligence discovered that Britain was working on a new
main battle tank armed with a 120 mm tank gun. Because of this, Marshal Vasily Chuikov, Commander-in-
Chief of the Soviet Army's Ground Forces, demanded an explanation of the "Kartsev's tanks" case. At a
conference of GBTU and the Soviet ground forces committee, it became apparent that Morozov's Ob'yekt
430 tank was only 10% better than the serial T-55. Because of this, Morozov's project was deemed a
complete failure. Though the representatives of Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau
disclosed their work on the improved Ob'yekt 432 (which would ultimately become the T-64), Chuikov
demanded that production of the Ob'yekt 166 main battle tank be started immediately.

The OKB-520 design bureau of Uralvagonzavod provided another design, the Ob'yekt 167, which was the
Ob'yekt 166 with a new more powerful V-26 engine using a charger, developing 700 hp (522 kW). Two
prototypes were built in the middle of 1961 and passed the trials. This time the GBTU decided not to wait
for the new main battle tank to pass trials and sent the Ob'yekt 166 into mass production in July 1961. The
Ob'yekt 165 also entered service in very small numbers, under the designation T-62A.[9]

Design
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US Army recognition poster

The T-62 has a typical tank layout: driver's compartment at the front, fighting compartment in the center
and engine compartment in the rear. The four-man crew consists of the commander, driver, gunner and
loader. Although the T-62 is very similar to the T-55 and makes use of many of the same parts, there are
some differences. These include the hull, which is a few centimeters longer and wider, the different road
wheels, and differences in characteristic uneven gaps between road wheels. Unlike the T-54 and T-55 main
battle tanks, the gaps between the last three pairs of road wheels are larger than the rest. [10]

Armament

A T-62 armed with the 12.7 mm (0.50 in) DShK 1938/46 antiaircraft heavy machine gun

The armament consists of the 115 mm U-5TS "Molot" (2A20) Rapira smoothbore tank gun with a two-axis
"Meteor" stabilizer and 7.62 mm PKT coaxial general-purpose machine gun mounted on the right of the
main gun. The 12.7 mm DShK 1938/46 antiaircraft heavy machine gun is mounted on the loader's hatch. It
was optional until 1972 when all newly built tanks were fitted with the AA heavy machine gun. The tank
carries 40 rounds for the main gun (although only 4 are placed in the turret, the rest are stored in the back of
the fighting compartment and in the front of the hull, to the right of the driver) and 2500 rounds for the
coaxial machine gun. All of the vehicle's armament is mounted in or on the round cast egg-shaped turret
from the Ob'yekt 140 prototype main battle tank, mounted over the third pair of road wheels. The T-62 was
armed with the world's first smoothbore tank gun, giving it considerably greater muzzle velocity than the
Western 90 mm and 105 mm tank guns of its time.[11][12] It can fire BM-3 APFSDS-T, BK-4, BK-4M
HEAT and OF-18 Frag-HE rounds. The 115 mm gun introduced the first successful APFSDS ammunition,
albeit with a steel penetrator. A smoothbore gun allowed a significantly better performance (from 10% to
20%) from HEAT ammunition, which was considered the main ammunition type for fighting enemy
armour at medium and long ranges.[1][2] The gun can be elevated or depressed between −6° and +16°. It is
reloaded manually and gets automatically reset to +3.5° of elevation after it is fired if the stabilizer is
enabled. Empty cartridges are automatically ejected outside the vehicle through a small hatch in the rear of
the turret. The gun has a range of effective fire of about 4 km during day conditions and 800 m (with the
use of night vision equipment) at night. This tank was fitted with a Meteor two-axis stabilizer, it allows the
T-62 to aim and fire while moving, according to tests conducted by the US army the Meteor gave the T-62
a first hit probability of 70% for a moving target at 1000 meters with the tank moving up to 20 km/per
hour. This gave the tank a good advantage in dynamic battlefields and breakthrough operations, especially
in Central Europe where most of tank battles would take place under the 1500 meters range.[13][14]

Side view of a T-62. The tank in the picture has either damaged or disassembled torsion bars and its hull
lies on the ground.

Rear view of a T-62. Notice the two optional 200 litre drum-type fuel tanks.

Mobility
The T-62 uses torsion bar suspension. It has five pairs of rubber-tired roadwheels, a drive sprocket at the
rear and idler at the front on each side, with no return rollers. The first and last road wheels each have a
hydraulic shock absorber. The tank is powered by the V-55 12-cylinder 4-stroke one-chamber 38.88 litre
water-cooled diesel engine developing 581 hp (433 kW) at 2,000 rpm. This is the same engine as the one
used in the T-55. Because the T-62 weighs more than the T-55, it is less maneuverable. Like the T-55, the
T-62 has three external diesel fuel tanks on the right fender and a single auxiliary oil tank on the left fender.
The tank carries 960 litres of fuel in its internal and external fuel tanks. Two optional 200-litre drum-type
fuel tanks can be fitted on the rear of the vehicle for an increased operational range. [4][15]

Countermeasures
A T-62 laying a smokescreen.

The T-62 has 5% thicker armour on the front of the hull (102 mm at 60°) and 15% thicker armour on the
front of the turret (242 mm) than the T-54/T-55. The turret armour is 153 mm thick on the sides, 97 mm
thick on the rear and 40 mm thick on the roof. The hull armour is 79 mm thick on the upper sides, 46 mm
thick at 0° on the rear and 20 mm thick on the bottom. Although the armour on the front of the hull is
thicker than in the T-55, the lower side armour (15 mm) and the roof armour (31 mm) are actually
thinner.[1][2]

Equipment

Front view of a T-62

Rear view of a T-62

One of the many similarities between the T-54/T-55 and T-62 tanks is their ability to create a smokescreen
by injecting diesel fuel into the exhaust system. Like the T-54 and T-55, the T-62 has an unditching beam
mounted at the rear of the hull. The tank can be fitted with a thin snorkel for operational usage and a large
diameter snorkel for training. The thin snorkel can be disassembled and carried in the back of the turret
when not used. The commander's cupola is located on the left of the top of the turret. The loader has a
single piece hatch located on the right side of the turret and further back than the commander's cupola. The
loader's hatch has a periscope vision block that can be used to view the areas in front of and behind the
vehicle. The commander's cupola has four periscopes, two are located in the hatch cover while the other
two are located in the forward part of the cupola. The driver has a single piece hatch located on the left
front of the vehicle, directly in front of the left side of the turret. [15] The tank uses the same sights and
vision devices as the T-55 except for the gunner, who received a new TSh-2B-41 sight which has x4 or x7
magnification. It is mounted coaxially with an optic rangefinder. [1][2] The gunner has two periscope vision
blocks, one of which is used in conjunction with the main searchlight mounted coaxially on the right side of
the main armament. There are two other smaller searchlights. One of these is used by the commander and is
mounted on his cupola. The tank has two headlights on the right front of the vehicle, one of which is
infrared while the other one is white. Curved hand rails around the turret allow easier entry for the
commander, the gunner, and the loader. They also help the infantry to mount and dismount the tank while
performing a tank desant. The tank has a box-shaped radiation detector/actuator mounted on the right hand
side of the turret, behind the compressed air tanks. While the T-62 did not feature an automatic loader (as
would become characteristic of later Soviet tanks), it had a unique "ejection port" built into the back of the
turret, which would open as the main gun recoiled, ejecting spent shell casings outside. This was
considered advantageous since the spent casings would otherwise clutter the floor of the tank and fill the
interior with noxious burnt-propellant fumes.[7] There is a blower mounted in the rear of the turret, to the
left of the spent cartridge ejection port.[15]

Limitations
The T-62 shares some of the T-55's limitations: a cramped crew compartment, limited depression of the
main gun and vulnerable fuel and ammunition storage areas. [7] Opening the ejection port under NBC
(nuclear, biological, or chemical) conditions would potentially expose the crew to contamination, but the
danger is limited in time and the internal overpressure make quite unlikely the penetration by external
agents.[5]

Each time the gun is fired, the tube must go into détente for cartridge ejection; though the system can be
deactivated making this unnecessary or in case of facing a NBC environment. The T-62 maximum average
rate of fire is limited to 8 rounds per minute, which falls behind the capabilities of Western 105 mm gun
equipped tanks.[5][14][16]

It takes 20 seconds for the T-62's turret to rotate through a full 360°, which is 5 seconds longer than the
time needed by the US M60A1 Patton tank.[17]

The turret also cannot be traversed with the driver's hatch open. Although the tank commander may
override the gunner and traverse the turret, he cannot fire the main gun from his position. He is also unable
to override the gunner in the elevation of the main gun, causing target acquisition problems. [5]

The US Army considered the T-62's gun more accurate than that of the M60A1 within 1500 meters, but
less accurate at greater ranges.[18]

To fire the 12.7 mm antiaircraft heavy machine gun, the loader must be partially exposed, making him
vulnerable to suppressive fire, and he must leave his main gun loading duties unattended. [5]

According to military author Bryan Perrett, the T-62 never enjoyed the commercial success of the T-54/T-
55 series for numerous reasons. First, the T-62 was more than twice the price of the T-55, and many
Warsaw Pact nations passed on the new tank because they did not feel that the improvements inherent in it
warranted the cost. Secondly, in 1968, a 100 mm HVAPDS tank shell capable of piercing Western armor
was developed. Use of this shell made the T-55 gun almost as effective as the T-62s, undercutting the T-
62's original selling point: a bigger, more powerful gun. Third, the T-62 was, according to Perrett, almost
immediately surpassed on its introduction by the new Western MBTs, the Chieftain and M60.[19] Finally,
the T-62 could not keep up with the new Soviet BMP-1 – the principal infantry fighting vehicle that the T-
62 was supposed to accompany. All of these factors combined to ensure that long term investment in the T-
62 was not viable and a new Soviet MBT had to be developed. [19]

Production history
In July 1961, Uralvagonzavod in Nizhny Tagil, Malyshev Factory in Kharkiv, Ukraine and Omsk Factory
No. 183 replaced part of their T-55 production with the T-62.[5][20] The original plans were that the T-62
would be produced until Morozov's Ob'yekt 432 tank was developed. T-62 production was maintained at
Uralvagonzavod until 1973 when it was replaced on the production lines by the T-72. Until the end of
production 20,000 T-62 main battle tanks were produced by Uralvagonzavod. [9] Production in the Soviet
Union was stopped in 1975.

North Korea produced the T-62 under license until the 1980s. In the early 1990s, the North Korean Second
Machine Industry Bureau designed a lighter copy of the T-62 which is mass-produced and is known locally
as the Ch'ŏnma-ho I (Ga).[21]

Models

Former Soviet Union

Front view of T-62M of the Afghan National Army in Kabul, 2004.

 T-62A (Ob'yekt 165) – Predecessor of T-62. It was essentially a stretched T-55 chassis with a
2245 mm turret ring, a new suspension, and an Ob'yekt 140 turret modernized with the addition of
a spent-cartridge ejector;tank gun equipped with the "Kometa" two-plane stabilizer. Only five
entered service.[8][9]
o T-62 Obr.1960 (Ob'yekt 166) – Original production model equipped with the 115 mm
U-5TS "Molot" (2A20) Rapira smoothbore tank gun with a "Meteor" two-plane
stabilizer. It has a TKN-3 commander's day/night sight, TSh-2B-41 gunner day sight with
3.5/7x magnification and TPN1–41–11 night sight. It carries 40 rounds for the main gun
and 2500 rounds for the PKT coaxial general-purpose machine gun. The V-55V engine
produces 581 hp (433 kW). It has a commander's cupola welded to turret. [9][21]
 T-62K (Ob'yekt 166K) (K stands for komandirskaya ["command"]) (1964) – T-
62 command variant. It is fitted with an R-112 (or R-130) radio, an AB-1 APU
and an antenna base on top of the turret. The ammunition load was decreased to
36 for the main gun and 1,750 rounds for the coaxial general-purpose machine
gun. It was mainly used by company and battalion commanders.
 T-62KN (Ob'yekt 166KN) – T-62K fitted with additional TNA-2
navigation aids.
 Ob'yekt 167 – T-62 fitted with a V-26 engine which with a use of charger
develops 700 hp (522 kW). It has a 9M14 Malyutka (NATO: AT-3 Sagger)
ATGM launcher on the rear of turret and a new chassis with return rollers and
smaller roadwheels. Not produced. Only two prototypes were made. [9][21]
 Ob'yekt 167T – Ob'yekt 167 fitted with a GTD-3T gas turbine
engine.[21]
 T-62 Obr.1967 – T-62 Obr.1960 with a slightly modified engine deck and an
OPVT deep wading system[22]
 T-62 Obr.1972 – T-62 Obr.1967 with a DShK 1938/46 machine gun
installed on the loader's hatch.[21] The tank is fitted with an improved
fording attachment.[22] It is sometimes incorrectly called T-62A and T-
62M.[21]
 T-62 Obr.1975 – T-62 Obr.1972 equipped with a KTD-1 or
KTD-2 laser rangefinder in an armoured box over the main
armament. It has concealed bolts around the commander's
cupola.[21]
 T-62D (Ob'yekt 166D) (D stands for Drozd [thrush])
(1983) – T-62 Obr.1975 equipped with KAZ 1030M
"Drozd" active protection system (APS), BDD
appliqué armour on the glacis plate only and new V-
55U diesel engine.
 T-62D-1 (Objekt 166D-1) – T-62D fitted
with a new V-46–5M diesel engine.
 T-62M (Ob'yekt 166M) (1983) – Extensive
modernization of the T-62 with protection and
mobility improvements and the "Volna" fire control
system. It is fitted with a BDD appliqué armour
package, an additional belly armour plate for anti-
mine protection, 10 mm thick reinforced rubber side
skirts and 10 mm thick anti-neutron liner. The BDD
appliqué armour package brings the frontal armor to
nearly equivalent to the early T-64A and T-72 Ural
and consists of an appliqué plate on the glacis and
two horseshoe shaped blocks fitted to the front of the
turret. This armor should be proof against all 84mm
and 90mm tank gun rounds at all ranges, 105mm
APDS and HEAT, 84mm and 106mm recoilless rifle
HEAT rounds and many 1st generation anti-tank
missiles as well as the M72A3 LAW and RPG-7. The
handrails around the turret have been removed to
make space for the bra appliqué armour. Fastenings
for four spare track chain links have been added on
the side of the turret. The tank is fitted with RhKM
tracks from the T-72 main battle tank and two
additional shock absorbers on the first pair of road
wheels. The "Volna" fire control system was
improved by fitting the KTD-2 (or KTD-1) laser
rangefinder in an armoured box over the main
armament. There is a new TShSM-41U gunner's
sight, new commander's sight, "Meteor-M1"
stabiliser, BV-62 ballistic computer and 9K116-2
"Sheksna" (NATO: AT-10 Stabber) guided missile
unit with 1K13-BOM sight (it is both a night sight
and ATGM launcher sight. However, it cannot be
used for both functions simultaneously) which allows
the tank to fire 9M117 Bastion ATGMs through its
gun tube.[15] The tank was fitted with a gun thermal
sleeve, new radios, the R-173 radio set instead of R-
123M and a new V-55U diesel engine developing
620 hp (462 kW). The ammunition load was
increased by two rounds. Some are fitted with two
clusters of four smoke grenade launchers each on the
right rear of the turret. The US intelligence saw T-
62M main battle tanks for the first time during the
Soviet–Afghan War and they gave it the designation
T-62E.[1][2][15][21] There are a number of sub-variants
of the T-62M, depending on how much of the
modernization package the vehicle has installed.
 T-62M-1 (Ob'yekt 166M-1) – T-62M fitted
with a V-46–5M diesel engine.
 T-62M1 (Ob'yekt 166M1) – T-62M fitted
with a revised frontal armour layout on the
hull and a normal night sight. It doesn't have
ATGM capability.[21]
 T-62M1–1 (Ob'yekt 166M1–1) –
T-62M1 fitted with the V-46–5M
diesel engine.
 T-62M1–2 (Ob'yekt 166M1–2) –
T-62M1 without belly armour or
the